Rodriguez

Rodriguez finished second in his career debut as a 2-year-old on Nov. 23, 2024, at Del Mar and then got the maiden win in the second lifetime outing in his 3-year-old debut at Santa Anita on Jan. 4, 2025. He entered stakes company for the first time in his following race in the Grade 3 $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes going one mile at Santa Anita on Feb. 1. In the Robert Lewis, Rodriguez chased 2-year-old champion stablemate Citizen Bull around the track and settled for second in a five-horse field. 

Rodriguez returned to make his next start in the Grade 2 $300,000 DK Horse San Felipe Stakes going 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on March 1. He picked up 11.25 more Derby qualifying points but finished a distant third.

Trainer Bob Baffert decided to ship Rodriguez to New York for his final Kentucky Derby prep, and the colt drew the inside post position in the $750,000, Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct on April 5. New jockey Mike Smith sent him to the front soon after the gates opened, and Rodriguez set a solid but comfortable pace through the backstretch with light pressure from post-time favorite Captain Cook. Undefeated Grande moved into contention in the far turn, but Rodriguez had plenty of stamina left for the stretch drive and held off that foe to prevail by 3 ½ lengths.

Rodriguez qualified to compete in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve but was forced to miss both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with a quarter crack in a hoof. He did make his return to the racetrack in time for the third jewel of the 2025 Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes, however, on June 7 at Saratoga Race Course. In the Belmont Stakes, Rodriguez set the pace under pressure much of the way and beat the other speeds but could not hold off Sovereignty, Journalism, and Baeza and settled for a fourth-place finish.

Rodriguez was bred in Kentucky by the sire Authentic out of the mare Cayala, by Cherokee Run.